#ONLYMENCAN CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT PROSTATE CANCER

The Urological Cancer Trust Fund of Universiti Malaya (UM) headed by Dato’ Prof. Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman and its new board member Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak will launch a nationwide campaign against prostate cancer in November, the Men’s Health Awareness Month. This campaign will be a recurring event that takes place yearly in November from 2020 till 2024.

According to the Malaysian National Cancer Registry, more than 60% of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed at the advanced stage (Stages 3 and 4) whilst the comparable statistics are much lower in Singapore (25-30%) and US (less than 20%). The campaign aims to lower the number of newly-diagnosed advanced prostate cancer from over 60% to 30% by 2025.

To achieve the target, the campaign adopts a multi-prong approach. In 2020, the campaign will initiate:

• A month-long #onlymencan campaign to create public awareness on prostate cancer. Key messages of the campaign will  be disseminated via advertisements, interviews and key opinion leaders.
• Knowledge enhancement programmes on prostate cancer for medical practitioners. Primary care doctors in both public and private sectors will attend online training courses to learn the latest updates on prostate cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment in order to provide the best possible care for patients.
• A dedicated #onlymencan website that contains health education resources for public, patients and healthcare professionals will be built as a one-stop virtual resource centre for prostate cancer in Malaysia.

In the US where testing is more widespread, 1 in 9 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Fortunately, it is also one of the most treatable forms of cancer: if detected early with a survival rate of more than 90% for at least 10 years.

Dato’ Sri Nazir, a prostate cancer survivor said “So many more men die or suffer terribly because they fail to detect prostate cancer early enough. And the keys to early detection are awareness and sound medical advice; so those are the priorities of our campaign this year.”

Prof. Dr. Adeeba believes that a close partnership between doctors and cancer survivors will have a powerful impact on the fight against prostate cancer. Awareness is the first step to early detection and improving prostate cancer outcomes in Malaysia.
 

Dato’ Prof. Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman (on the left) and Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak (on the right)